July 2008 Update
TUFI’s monthly update looks at important trade union issues in Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Middle East Peace Process, regional developments, domestic Israeli and Palestinian affairs and primary issues affecting British trade union policy on Israel
Israeli Industrial News: Israeli social workers resume normal services
Social workers in Israel called an end to an 80-day partial-strike on 3 July after Isacc Herzog, the Israeli Welfare Minister, agreed to allocate £2 million to strengthen the industry and fund 221 new positions in the coming year.
For over two months, social workers refused to accept new clients, assign foster homes for children at risk or submit recommendations in custody disputes. The disgruntled workers claimed that growing socioeconomic gaps and a rapid population increase had led to a surplus of case files while the number of social workers had remained the same.
Israeli Industrial News: Groundbreaking agreement signed over employee computer privacy
The Histadrut and the Israeli Federation of Economic Organisations have reached a groundbreaking collective agreement (25 June), which settles the issue of employee privacy regarding the personal use of work-place computers.
The agreement determines that employees are entitled to use a work computer for personal reasons and have the right to privacy. The employer can only check an employee’s computer if there is a suspicion that it is being used to break the law or harm the organisation.
British Trade Union News: RMT union rejects a boycott of Israel
The National Union of Rail, Martine and Transport Workers union (RMT) voted at its 2008 Annual General Meeting (25 June) to overturn its existing negative policy on Israel. The motion called for a democratic two-state settlement for Israelis and Palestinians, criticised Hamas, and rejected “passive and divisive tactics such as boycotts,” which it called “inconsistent with the principles of unity and solidarity between workers that our union stands for and wishes to promote.” The motion was overwhelmingly passed by more than two thirds of conference delegates.
British Trade Union News: Bakers’ union exemplifies balanced approach
The BFAWU (Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union) successfully hosted an Israeli and a Palestine delegate at its Annual 2008 conference in Bridlington. The invitations to attend the conference followed a Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) delegation to Israel and the Palestinian territories in December 2007, which included the BFAWU president, Ronnie Draper.
Hertzel Yaka, Chairman of the Food and Pharmaceutical Union of the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and Ibrahim Thweib, General Secretary of the Food Workers Section of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), both addressed the conference and both received a standing ovation. The two delegates gave an overview of their union’s work and stressed their wish for understanding, dialogue amongst regional unions and peace in the region.
British Trade Union News: Unison decides not to include boycott call in composite motion
Unison’s executive council decided to reject calls for an economic boycott of Israel while putting together a composite motion on Palestine for its 2008 Annual Delegate Meeting in Bournemouth (June 2008).
The final composite motion, which was carried by 65% of delegates, criticised Israel on a number of fronts, but stopped short of calling for a boycott and instead called for Unison to continue working with “both the PGFTU and the Israeli Histadrut to promote civil society, dialogue and the peace process”.
British Trade Union News: GMB passes balanced motion
The GMB passed a motion (‘Peace and Statehood for Palestine’) at its 2008 annual Congress in June, which called for the union to actively campaign to relieve the “desperate suffering” in the Gaza strip as well as requesting the “ruling leadership of Hamas act decisively to prevent further Qassam rocket and mortar attacks being launched from within Gaza against civilians targets within Israel.”
Peace Process: Talks to resume between Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams
Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei said on 28 June that peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will resume in Washington in July. Three sessions of bilateral talks between the negotiation teams have been agreed. Queri said that all “permanent status issues” were open for negotiation.
In an interview on 24 June Israeli Prime Minister Olmert said that tangible progress had been made in talks with the Palestinians regarding the fate of the refugees, borders and security arrangements. Mr Olmert said that the issue of Jerusalem would only be discussed in the final stage of talks, describing it as “volatile” but expressed hope that the two sides could reach an agreement over the fate of the capital.
Israeli and Palestinian leaders expressed their optimism over the chances for peace at a summit of EU and “Mediterranean Rim” nations in Paris on Sunday 13 July. Mr Olmert said “we have never been as close to the possibility of coming to an agreement as we are today.” Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said that both sides were serious and wanted peace.
Gaza: Ceasefire holds despite continuing rocket attacks
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, announced on Thursday 19 June, is still in effect despite repeated rocket attacks in violation of the terms of the agreement.
The deal is a staged agreement aiming to ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza while ensuring the security of Israeli communities in the Western Negev. The second stage involves Israel lifting the restrictions on goods going in and out of Gaza, and the final stage, contingent on success at its second stage, involves reopening the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in return for Hamas’ release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been held in Gaza since June 2006.
Israel opened Gaza’s borders on 29 June allowing in over 150 trucks carrying medical and food aid, but were forced to close the crossings again on 3 July after a rocket was fired at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. This was the sixth rocket attack since the truce between Israel and Hamas took effect and there have been three more reported attacks since. In a new development, Hamas arrested a number of Palestinians for the latest attack in the first such detentions since the start of the truce.
Peace Process: Millions pledged at Berlin conference in support of security sector reform
International donors at the Berlin conference on the Middle East have committed £121m for security projects that they hope will help create a viable Palestinian state. The conference was attended by more than 40 government delegations, including representatives from the US, the UN, the EU and Russia.
The money comes out of £3.7 billion already pledged by donors at the Paris conference in December 2007 where the UK donated £250 million over the next three years. The money now earmarked for security reform will be passed to the Palestinian Authority (PA) over the next three years to be spent on measures such as training police and building new courthouses. The funds are also due to go towards an expansion of the European Union Police Mission in the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS), set up in 2005 to train the Palestinian police force.
Palestinian affairs: Abbas and Fayyad call for national unity
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad has called for the establishment of a unity government with Hamas (12 July), saying it was time to re-unite the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Calling on Hamas to accept Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s initiative for “national unity,” Fayyad said he was prepared to form a transitional government to run the affairs of the Palestinians and prepare for new elections.
Israel/Lebanon: Israeli bodies handed over in prisoner swap
Five Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Qantar, the notorious murderer of an Israeli father and his young daughter, crossed free out of Israel on 16 July in a prisoner swap after the Hizbullah militant group handed over two black caskets containing the remains of two Israeli soldiers. It was the first confirmation for their families that Eldad Regev, 27, and Ehud Goldwasser, 32 had died. The abduction of the two soldiers set off a 34-day war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006.
Syria: Olmert calls for face to face talks with Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called for face-to-face negotiations with Syria on 3 July following a positive third round of indirect peace talks, mediated by Turkey, in which all parties agreed to meet again.
The fourth round of indirect negotiations will be held in Turkey in late July. At that meeting, the sides will decide whether to move to direct talks starting in August when the fifth and sixth rounds are scheduled to take place. A Turkish government source said the negotiators were beginning to discuss “core issues”.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad both attended the summit of EU and “Mediterranean Rim” nations in Paris on Sunday 13 July. They did not speak directly but Assad said he estimated six months to two years would be a likely time-frame in which the two countries could sign an agreement.
Israeli affairs: Annual Gay Pride march goes ahead in Jerusalem
Around 3,000 people attended the Gay Pride parade on Thursday 26 June in Jerusalem. In previous years, the event had sparked an outcry from the ultra-Orthodox community in the city. This year there were only small-scale protests away from the march route and police said only one protester was arrested.
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